Which Video Card for MDD - Nvidia or ATi Radeon?

Question

Mac nVidia GeForce 4 Ti 4600/Ti4600 128MB Video Card G4
BRAND NEW
I saw this item on eBay, and it looks like a good deal, but elsewhere on this forum someone said the ATI Radeon 9800 Pro was preferred for the Mirror Drive Door model.
The NVidia seems to have the best price. Assuming either are compatible (need AGP) which would be recommended, and why?
My present card is 64MB. I would hope that one with 128MB would improve performance with my Final Cut Express and 3D programs, such as Carrara and SketchUp, and give better results with an LCD monitor (and the card supports dual monitors, I think)
many thanks,
K.

Answer 1

Hi Keith-
The biggest problem with the Geforce4 Ti is lack of Core Image support. This is of major importance in OS X, important to some graphics/video editing applications and is indicative of a GPU that is more powerful than the cards that don't support Core Image.
The Radeon 9800 Pro is a card that supports Core Image, and does so with ease.
For applications, Quartz Extreme is a given, but Open GL is also of concern. The Radeon 9800 Pro scores higher in Open GL benchmarks than the Geforce4 Ti.
As for 3D, shaders are of importance. The Radeon cards often offer better shader support than the Geforce cards. This is true when comparing the Geforce4 Ti and the Radeon 9800 Pro.
Not only is the architecture of the Radeon 9800 Pro better, 8 pixel pipelines vs. 4, but the drivers for the Radeon are superior. In fact, it is a gamers secret in some applications, to use Radeon shader drivers to get better performance out of their Geforce cards.
Not to be overlooked, but the amount of VRAM is not as important as the GPU clock speed, and the memory (VRAM) speed. The Geforce4 Ti has a GPU of 300mhz, and DDR VRAM at 325mhz (effective 650mhz).
The Radeon 9800 Pro has a GPU clocked at 378mhz, and DDR VRAM clocked at 337.5mhz (effective 675mhz).
Again, the Radeon 9800 Pro is superior in architecture.
Both cards can support dual displays, both having a DVI and a VGA port. A big difference is if you use OS X Leopard. Again, the Radeon card stands supreme, with many OS 9, or "legacy" Geforce cards loosing dual display ability in Leopard. This problem is often reported here.
If, however, the majority of your work is in OS 9, the Geforce4 Ti is a better card, with better native support +in OS 9+. The Radeon 9800 Pro came much later than the last OS 9.2.2, so it doesn't have the benefit of native 3D drivers. It works fine as a basic graphics card in OS 9, but doesn't support accelerated 3D as well as the Geforce4 Ti.
As for price, since we're comparing flashed cards, the Radeon 9800 Pro costs the same (as the Geforce4 Ti) from a very competent, reliable seller, though you have an extra $10 in shipping.